It's Story Time
I was in the café line at Borders the other day and I dropped my keys. When I stood back up a man had blatantly cut in front of me. I wasn’t the only one to notice, the two baristas behind the counter did as well. The baristas kept looking at him and then giving me their best raised eyebrows suggesting, “You’re gonna let him get away with that?” The man took his latte and I was now up. Before I could even order, a barista said, “Why did you let that guy do that to you? He completely cut you off. Why’d you let him get away with that?”
I smiled and said, “Seriously. I’m not that important.” The simplicity was inviting. The silence of the barista was inviting. For those three extra minutes that I spent behind the man, I was not losing anything and he was not getting away with anything. I was being liberated from thinking that I have more value as a human being than he does. My defection was freedom.
*I thought a narrative might be a fresh interjection.-JPB
I smiled and said, “Seriously. I’m not that important.” The simplicity was inviting. The silence of the barista was inviting. For those three extra minutes that I spent behind the man, I was not losing anything and he was not getting away with anything. I was being liberated from thinking that I have more value as a human being than he does. My defection was freedom.
*I thought a narrative might be a fresh interjection.-JPB
posted by jpb at
6/29/2006 12:02:00 AM
3 Comments:
You know, I’ve had many similar instances where such a things has happened to me, I’m a small guy and tend to get push around by big guys. The remarkable thing is not that you didn't stand up to him, I do that often just out of timidity, the remarkable thing is what you displayed, and what I’ve been slowly learning, that for those who are in Christ those moments can be, as you said, liberating. I think when our “rights”<-(said sarcastically) are violated, it is easy to clinch our fists and just endure those moment with a false humility and a woe is me attitude, instead of embracing them as a chance to knock our pride down another peg, and more importantly a chance to be a little salt, a little light and have the world look at us as if we were a little weird.
Thanks for sharing. I often mask my pride with terms like "assertiveness" and "proactivity." I also get a self-righteous attitude that urges me to "help" a guy like that learn a lesson. It's me that needs to learn.
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Much like the prohibition against Christians' taking people to court doesn't apply to us because people in our culture need more than ever to know right from wrong, what is acceptible behavior and what isn't. Mercy is good as far as it goes, but without justice the world (i.e., America) would just be all the more susceptible to terrorism and anarchy. It's the principle of the thing.
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